Development of a Snowplow Driver Assist System

Date and Time: Tuesday, May 9, 2023: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Location: Keck 100

 

Lead Presenter:  Brian Davis, 
Affiliation:  University of Minnesota
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Lead Presenter Biography

Brian Davis is a research fellow and Associate Director of the Mobility Technology Laboratory in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Minnesota. His research focuses on the development of technologies and systems to improve transportation safety and productivity. This work includes applications such as high-accuracy roadway mapping, driver assist and lane-departure warning, connected vehicles and telemetry, safety data reporting, and transportation safety. Brian is the vehicle manager for the MnCAV Ecosystem connected and automated research vehicle. 

Co-Authors

Max Donath, Professor, University of Minnesota; Nichole Morris, Research Associate Professor, University of Minnesota

Presentation Description 

Snowplow operators are often tasked with clearing snow from roadways under challenging conditions. One such situation - low visibility due to falling or blowing snow - makes it particularly difficult to navigate, stay centered in the lane, and identify upcoming hazards. To support snowplow operators working with little to no visibility, University of Minnesota researchers worked with the Minnesota Department of Transportation to develop a snowplow driver assist system focused on mitigating issues associated with these conditions.

The driver assist system provides support to the operator in two key ways. A lane guidance system uses high-accuracy GNSS and maps of the roadway to provide information to the driver about their lateral position within the lane. A forward obstacle detection system uses forward-facing radar to detect potential hazards in the roadway. Visual information is communicated to the driver through an LCD screen mounted on the dashboard. The design of the system, and in particular its interface, was guided by extensive user testing to ensure the system was easy to understand, easy to use, and well liked among its users.

The system has been deployed over three winter seasons with nine systems currently deployed across Minnesota. Over the course of these deployments, user feedback was collected to identify system strengths and areas for improvement. The system was found to be a cost-effective addition to snowplows that increase driver safety, reduce plow downtime, and increase driver efficacy for plowing operations, thus providing support to operators working in demanding, low-visibility conditions.

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